by Nomi Berger
A tabby cat is NOT a specific breed. Rather, a tabby cat refers to that particular cat’s coat pattern. In fact, the tabby coat – the most common pattern of fur paws-ible — is found on cats of any breed, mixed breed and on both male and female cats. And because of this, it’s extremely difficult to find cats who AREN’T tabbies.
Most tabby cats are easily recognizable due to the distinctive M-shaped marking on their foreheads. Tabby cats’ coats come in a fascinating variety of colors, including brown, calico, gray, orange and even tortoiseshell, and have spots, stripes or swirls on their bodies, legs, tails and/or faces. Since the tabby gene is a dominant gene, it only takes one parent with that particular tabby gene to pass the pattern on to a kitten.
There are five different types of tabby cat patterns:
Mackerel: The most common tabby pattern, the mackerel features narrow, tiger-like stripes.
Classic: Cats with a classic tabby pattern have a marble-like swirl on their sides much like a cinnamon roll.
Spotted: True to its name, the spotted tabby pattern has spots instead of the more common narrow stripes.
Patched: Patched tabbies are calico or tortoiseshell cats who not only have the tabby pattern but are known as caliby and torby cats, respectively.
Ticked: The least common of the five tabby cat patterns, ticked coats are often more subtle than the other varieties. In this particular pattern, each individual hair, called agouti hairs, contains bands of different colors that create an iridescent or shimmering effect.
Due to the fact that any cat can inherit the tabby gene, the breeds that recognize a tabby pattern in their breed standard include: Abyssinian, American Bobtail, Bengal, British Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, Exotic Shorthair, LaPerm, Maine Coon, Manx, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Oriental Shorthair, Persian, Scottish Fold, Siberian, Turkish Angora, and Turkish Van.
As to how long do tabby cats live? Because a cat’s lifespan varies by breed, tabby cats can live 10 – 15 years. But, blessed with the finest of care, some cats can live well into their 20’s.
If your own favorite feline is a tabby, a cat DNA test will tell you which breeds are in her DNA, thereby enabling you to “guess-timate” her lifespan.
